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Want a kid who's more creative? Get packing

By Wendy Lee Walsh, Ph.D. Let me begin by telling you that I make many mistakes as a parent. Sometimes I expose my kids to media that is beyond suggested ratings. I am, at times, rather loosey-goosey when it comes to discipline, and my kids have been known to hit the pillow more than once without brushing their teeth. But there is one thing that I have always been quite sure that I do right as a

By Wendy Lee Walsh, Ph.D. Let me begin by telling you that I make many mistakes as a parent. Sometimes I expose my kids to media that is beyond suggested ratings. I am, at times, rather loosey-goosey when it comes to discipline, and my kids have been known to hit the pillow more than once without brushing their teeth. But there is one thing that I have always been quite sure that I do right as a parent. That is to give my kids the gift of international travel and international living experiences that expose them to a wide range of cultures. My oldest daughter turned 12 last week and when we head to Costa Rica for our summer vacation this month, it will be the tenth country she has visited. We lived in Italy in 2006 and from there dipped into many cultures of Europe, including taking a camel-riding stint on the Canary Islands (off the coast of West Africa) during Italian school winter break. We have skied the Canadian Rockies and studied Irish Georgian architecture in Dublin. We swam with dolphins in Mexico, and ate decadent breakfasts in a "pension" in the south of France. My little one was just three when we lived in Italy and still craves the goat cheese, olives and "panne y olio" snacks that were served in her Italian preschool. My middle-schooler writes poetry and short stories with references to art and history that many adults couldn't conjure. Recently the heroine in one of her "Hero" stories time-travelled to the Vasari Corridor on the Ponte Vecchio to save the Medici art collection from Hitler's bombs! This, to me, is far more important than any private school education. My kids attend public school and we live modestly in America, but even with the recession, I will not cut back on travel. It feels like air for my children. In the race to create a global economy, travel feels somehow like an educational necessity.

Now there's research to back up my intuition. Three separate studies published this month in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin say that creativity can be enhanced by experiencing cultures different from one's own. The researchers looked at the creativity of students who had lived abroad and those who hadn't and found a higher incidence of creativity, as determined by a range of standardized tests, in those kids with international experiences. The thinking is this: Creativity is linked to an open mind. Multicultural experiences open one's mind. International living forces the brain to think outside of the box in multiple arenas -- from social customs, to art, food, architecture and laws. So when a child learns to open their mind as an adaptive behavior when traveling, the thinking is that this same brain function can be applied to imagination in art, academics, and eventually even business. My own, daughter, the one with the loose rules and dirty teeth, was recently invited to perform one of her poems at her sixth grade talent show and got a standing ovation for this little bit of creativity: Where I’m From

- By Carrington , Age 11. I am from Italy

Where the hills of Tuscany rolled on and on

Where Viareggio’s warm water made my smile grow

Where I held up the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Where gondolas were seen at every corner I am from Florida

Where mosquitos sucked while the sun set

Where islands surrounded me

Where rain, wind, thunder, and lighting collided with a BANG!

Where seashells floated around my feet I am from Canada

Where cows linger outside my window

Where the sand is red, and not white

Where snow drops delicately on my hair

Where most moments freeze my fingers I am from London

Where I spent a night at many hotels

Where I watch the London eye

(and it watches me)

Where Christmas and snow create heaven

Where fancy dresses and coats are worn often I am from Mexico

Where I watched jet skis zoom past me

Where I wrote my name in the sand

Where I walked a walked across water

(only to fall in with a large SPLASH!)

Where I watched celebrities play poker I am from New York

Where the Nutcracker astounds me each year

Where freshly cold air fill my lungs

Where exhibits amaze me every time

Where dresses and dancers waltzed across the stage I am from California

Where family is everywhere

Where I opened my first book

Where I jumped under water before I could float

Where every song holds a treasured memory When I ask my kids what they most like travel, they tell me they like the planes rides and just doing fun stuff. My little one, who is now 7, remembers the wild tortoises that lived with their babies in the garden of her Italian school. They both marvel at food and eating styles everywhere. France has the best bread. Except for the Irish, whose scones can't be beat. The Italians keep their kids up late to slurp down the most delicious pasta. And the Canadians make a too-sweet pastry called a beaver tail. Then there are the friendships that my kids have been formed, many that live on today thanks to Facebook and Twitter. In Italy, there was the Ethiopian diplomat's kid who was escorted to school by armored security. The 5-year-old daughter of my landlady who wrinkled up her face at American cheese and taught my kids to yell "Vai! Vai ! Vai!' on the soccer field. But my favorite was Nicholas, from second-grade math club. Nicholas was the son of an American ex-patriot who proudly claimed his dad had invented the euro. Certain this was a bit of grade-school bravado, I met Nicholas' mother one day on the soccer bleachers to clear things up. I mean, how could one man have invented the euro? Was he some kind of currency artist who designed the images on the coin's face? Her response reminded me that international living is like that law of physics: Particles in motion attract other particles in motion. And a diverse community of English-speaking nomads rub shoulders at international Schools. "Well," she gently offered, "What Nicholas means to say is that my husband won the Nobel Prize for designing the economic platform that the euro is based on." So Nicholas was right. His dad had invented the euro. Ah, the wonders of international living. Dr. Wendy Walsh looks at the hot news topics through a lens of relationship psychology. She blogs daily for MomLogic.com and her own blog, Dating. Mating. Relating, and is the relationship expert for Pregnancy Magazine. She also appears regularly as a psychological expert on CNN and has appeared on TODAY and “The CBS Early Show.” Dr. Walsh holds a B.A. in journalism, a master’s degree in psychology, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She is the author of “The Boyfriend.” To learn more you can visit: MomLogic.com/WendyWalsh and DrWendyWalsh.com